Filenews 13 June 2022 - by Dora Christodoulou
The global changes and differentiations of recent years in the historic and commercial centre of Paphos, had at the level of thoughts and initial plans included a category of companies that was permanently at the centre of the discussion for their relocation from the centre, but due to design difficulties remained there for decades. The reason for the design difficulties are the gas stations that are concentrated along Evagoras Pallikaridis Avenue, a stone's throw from the main square of the city and the shopping centre. However, despite the universal changes and aesthetic improvements that have occurred in the area, the thought that existed for the relocation of gas stations remains as such, since it was judged "on paper" that the conditions are anything but mature for a project of this size and practical difficulties.
According to the information of "F", the whole effort has now been abandoned, since it was found that only one case had practical possibilities of implementation. In all other cases, for different reasons in each of them, the difficulties were such that it made it impractical to promote any designs. After that, although the officials of the Municipality of Paphos still recognize that it is more than ever necessary to move the gas stations outside the centre, so that the regeneration of the area has a "practical face" and in the specific parts, the whole effort is referred, once again, to the 'long run'. "The aim, of course, was not to close the businesses and leave the people working there without jobs," the mayors emphasize, "but to move these businesses to other parts of the city." A project has already been created in the centre that will not exist in Cyprus and it is not conceivable that gas stations will continue to be part of it ". Entrepreneurs in the industry themselves, however, when asked by "F" about these plans, claimed that in fact they themselves had never been part of any consultation for movement and consider that it is impossible in the current situation to consider such a change possible.